Guard for athletes



D. LEVINSQN GUARD FOR A THLETES med uam 2s, 1929 Patented Dec. 9, 1930UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE i DAVID LEVINSON, 0F CHICAGO, HIINOIS,ASSIGNOR TO WILSON-WESTERNl SPORTING GOODS CO., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ACORPORATION OF DELAWARE GUARD FOR ATHLETES Applicationvled March 23,1929. Serial No. 349,314.

The present invention relates to guards for athletes, and isparticularlyV concerned with the provision of an improved constructionand method of manufacture of the guard disclosed in my priorapplication, Serial No. 167,976, filed February`14, 1927.

One of the objects of the present invention is the provision of a moresimple and more easily manufactured form of the guard disclosed in saidprior application, and the provision of a novel method ofmanufacture ofguards of this type. 1

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved form ofthigh guard, including a curved guard member and a tension brace, inwhich the brace is automati# Another object of the invention is theprovision of an improved guard construction,y

including al tension member passing about a portion of the guard andsecured thereto by a rivet in such manner that the tension member istensioned by the act of riveting the tensionmember upon the guard. 'f fOther objects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdescription and from the accompanying drawings in which similarcharacters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the severalviews.

Referring to the single sheetof drawings;

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a guard constructed according tothe present invent-ion: o

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the plane of the line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of an incomplete guard illustrating the sameat one point during its construction;

vF ig. 4 is a similar sectional view of the completed guard taken on theplane of the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

The present guard is adapted to be worn in the manner disclosed inmyprior applif cation, being carried by a pocket on the footi balltrousers, by lacing the same to the football trousers or by a pocketelastically supported upon the leg of the wearer.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, 10 `indicates the preferred construction ofmy thigh guard in its entirety, and the guard preferably comprisesa'laterallycurved sheet 11 o f relatively stiff fiber board, thecurvature of the Sheet being substantially concentricwith the curvatureof the limb of the wearer, adapted to be protected by the guard.

It is, of course, contemplated that the guard may be constructed in aplurality of different sizes, so that a player `may select a size whichis most nearly adapted'to provide the desired fit.

The guard member 11 is preferably slightly oblong in shape, having itslongest dimension parallel to the elements of curvature of the guard,and the top 12 and bottom 13 are provided with curved outer edges toeliminate any sharp corners. The inner and upper corner 14 may be cutaway diagonally, as shown in Fig. 1, to prevent interference of theguard with parts of the body of the wearer, and the guard may beprovided with a plurality of apertures 15 for use in lacing` the guardto the trouser leg or to the pocket in which it is supported. f v

The outer edge lof the guard member 11 is provided with a line of spacedapertures 16, extending along the edge of the guard and vadapted toreceive the vstitching 17, which secures a protective coveringk 18 offelt, orithe like, about the edge of the guard. The felt 18 may comprisea strip of relatively thick felt preferably wider than necv essary tocover the edge, and the strip is stitchedto the guard with its louteredge 19 extending just past the stitching 17, and its inner edge20g-projecting considerably beyond the stitching 17 to form additionalpadding adjacent the limb of the wearer.

It will thus be observed that the felt 18 is curved around the outeredges of the guard the guard until the opposite end 22 is located inabutting relation to the end 2l.

The guard member 1l is prefe ably provided with brac-ing means which maycom prise one or more tension members 23, and in the present embodiment,the tension member 23 is preferably passed around a portion of the guarditself and secured thereto by a single fastening means which maycomprise the rivet 24. In order that the tension member 3 may betensioned around a part of the guard 1l transversely to the curved.portion without exposing the tension member at the edges of the guard, Iprefer to provide the. guard with a pair of slots 25 extendingvertically of the guard and located adjacent the opposite vertical edgesof the guard.

The tension member 23 may consist of band or strap of fabric, leather,or metal, such as relatively thin spring steel, and the band 23 may belocate-d upon the guard as follows: Both ends 26 and 27 of the band,which is cut` to proper size, are passed through the slots 25 from thefront of the guard, the band being pulled through the slots 25 until theouter part 28 of the tension band 23 conforms to the curvature of theguard. If desired, the guard 11 may be slightly flattened during thisoperation, and in the preferred form, the band 23 comi rises a springsteel member which may be bent over at 29 just inside of the guard Il atthe slots 25 to form hooks in the band, and when the guard 1l returns toits predetermined curvature, the outer portion 28 of the band will betensioned against the outer curved surface 30 of the guard.

In the guard disclosed in my prior application, the reinforcing bandcorresponding to the band 23 was secured by a plurality of separaterivets in such manner that the tension band was adapted to resistflattening of the guard or further curvature of the guard, butconsiderable ditculty is involved in the fastening of the ends 26 and 27of the band to the guard under sufficient tension to immediately resistforces tending to change the curvature of the guard.

The prior construction also involves the use of a plurality of rivetswhich entails more labor and material than has been found necessary in aguard of the present construct-ion.

rIhe present method is also adapted to effect a greater tension of thereinforcing band about the guard without the necessity for pai'- ticulareffort on the part of the operator in the securing of the tension, andthe guards constructed according to the present invention may bemanufactured in large quantities at a low cost, so that they are withinthe reach of a vast number of the public, including amateurs and personsof moderate means, who use such articles.

In order that the band may be simultaneously secured and tensioned uponthe guard, the guard is preferably provided with a compressible spacingmember 3l located between the ends 26 and 27 of the band and the innersurface of the guard 11. The spacing member 3l may comprise a relativelythick piece of leather of any convenient shape and adapted to becompressed by the riveting operation which is performed upon the rivet24.

The leather spacer 31 may be secured to the inner surface of the guardl1 by glue in order to hold it in place during the process ofconstruction, after which the ends 26 and 27 of the band 23 may bepressed against the leather spacer by the thumbs of the operator appliedat the points 32 and 33 of the band. The operator may then hold theguard with its spacing member 31 and band 23 in the proper positionunder a punching machine, simultaneously punching an aperture throughthe ends 26 and 27 vof the band 23, the spacing member 31, the guard 11,and the outer curved portion 28 of the band 23. i

The guard may then be removed from the punching machine, the operatorstill holding the parts in the predetermined position, and the rivet 24may be put in place as shown in Fig. 3 and riveted by a rivetingmachine, as shown in Fig. 4. During the riveting operation, thecompressible spacing member 31 is compressed by the rivet 24 and theportions 32 and 33 of the band 23 are drawn from the curved positions asshown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in Fig. 4, Where the portions 32and 33 extend along the lines of chords across the arcs of curvature ofthe guard member 11.

As a matter of fact, the portions 32 and 33 of the tension band may notbe exactly straight, depending upon the relative stiffness of the bandemployed, butit is found that by means of the improved constructionshown, sufficient tension may be secured to brace the guard against anyforces tending to change its curvature.

It should also be noted that the use of a single fastening means reducesthe cost of manufacture, and the cost of material, and enables theoperator to tension the band along its entire length in a single oeration.

The outer exposed surface of the portion 28 of band 23 may be covered bygluing a strip of fabric 34 over the metal band, in order to preventcontact of the band with the clothing, and to prevent the rusting of theband when exposed to the moisture of the body of the wearer. The innerportions 32 and 33 of the band 23 may also be covered by a relativ-elythick strip 35 of felt, which isy glued to the band 23 and to the i'iberboard 1l above and below the band. The ends of the felt strip 35 and theends of the fab-ric strip 34 are preferably secured between the feltstrip 18 and the fiber board l1 by means of the same stitching 17, whichsecures the strip 18. The glue provides a form of waterproofing for themetal band which is protected by the felt or fabric.

Referring to Fig. 4, it will be noted that the portions 32 and 33 of thetension band project slightl inside the contacting surface of the pading strip 20. The felt padding 35 is thus adapted to engage the imb ofthe wearer at these points, tendin to further curve the portions 32 and33 o the tension band, so that as the guard is pressed more firmlyagainst the limb of the wearer, it is securely seated upon the limb ofthe wearer Without possibility of rocking.

It will thus be observed that I have invented a novel method ofmanufacture of the thigh guard of the above mentioned application, andan improved form of construction, by means of which the tension bandmaybe more securely fastened about the guard with an initial tensioncapable of resistin any forces which tend to deform the guar rllhepresent invention includes the use of tension bands of variousmaterials, but most satisfactory results have been secured by the use ofspring steel of approximately gauge No. .014.

The present invention may also be manufactured more cheaply than thedevices of the prior art, and the guard is considerably lighter than thedevices of the prior art, which include bracing members of met-al, whichbrace by virtue of their stiffness rather than their tensilecharacteristics.

While I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, manymodifications may be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention, and I do not wish to be limited to the precise details ofconstruction set forth, but desire to avail myself of all changes withinthe scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In an athletic guard, the combination of a relativelystiff guardmember curved to the general contour of a member to be protected, with ametal tension member extending along a chord of an arc of curvature ofsaid guard member, a rivet for simultaneously tensioning said tensionmember and securing the same to said guard, and a compressible washerbetween said tension member and said guard and adapted to be compressedin said tensioning operation.

2. In a foot ball guard, the combination of a curved fiber guard member,with a protective edge covering curved about the edge of said guardmember and stitched thereto, a tension member comprising a metal bandpassing about a part of said guard and across an arc of curvature ofsaid guard, a single fastening means for securing said band to saidguard and tensioning said band, and a compressible member between saidband and said guard and adapted to be compressed in the tensioning ofsaid band.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 16th day of March,1929.

DAVID LEVINSON.

